The first medal of the European Grand Senior Championships 2026 has been given away in Vienna, Austria, with Slovakia’s Anton Zoricak claiming gold in the Men’s Singles event.
Zoricak secured the historic first title of the new European championship after a strong performance in the final, closing the match against England's Kim Johnson 267-195. Zoricak led the whole match, scoring a seven-bagger and putting the title out of reach for Johnson.
Qualification was led by Austria’s Wolfgang Hauska, who topped the standings with a total score of 1,358 pins over six games, averaging 226.3. Hauska earned the top seed heading into the final stages, but lost to England's Kim Johnson in the semifinal 204-194. Meanwhile, Zoricak defeated Slovenia's Bojan Klarič in a very close game 178-175.
The Men’s Singles event featured a total of 84 Grand Senior bowlers from across Europe.
The Grand Senior Championships 2026 mark the first edition of this new European Bowling Federation event, created for athletes aged 65 and above. The championships run from January 30 to February 8 at Plus Bowling Vienna.
A total of 21 federations are taking part in the championships.
Action at the Grand Senior Championships continues tomorrow with the start of the Women’s Singles competition, as more medals are set to be awarded in Vienna.
